


Zoo

by The_Lich_Queen



Series: tales of the unexpected [42]
Category: Undertale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24302560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lich_Queen/pseuds/The_Lich_Queen
Summary: After the Great War between humans and monsters. Spoiler: Monsters lost the war, becoming enslaved to humans. And in time becoming pets or zoo attractions.Sans is a skeleton who does not want to breed, but his keepers keep sending them to him anyway. With a new extension they hope the grumpy old skeleton will finally find a mate.A new skeleton named Papyrus joins the zoo for the summer, on loan from a bigger zoo for the grand reopening.Sans is hoping that he can get rid of this new pest. Unfortunately Papyrus just seems to bounce back the very next day.-A Sans/Papyrus fic where they are not related.-
Relationships: Sans/Papyrus
Series: tales of the unexpected [42]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749436
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

Sans lazes from his place on the sandy ground, silently watching the other nervous skeleton coming ever closer to him. His eternal grin never fades his empty orbit flicker now and again with blue and yellow.

It was a friendly warning to the other to stay away.

Sans’s skulls turn ever so slightly that all the keepers failed to miss it. They all stare eagerly at the display, behind the glass.

The new skeleton in the enclosure continues on, treading carefully around the bones Sans had risen up for protection. Even though he knew the zookeepers would never put a dangerous skeleton in with him.

Since he only had 1 HP; and if this newcomer got overexcited during mating, then he was a goner.

Sans frowns, causing the other to halt; he had no idea why the zoo wanted to breed him. The zoo itself was on the outskirts of an old town, it only had both common animals and common monsters, some that could even be seen in the local wildlife.

Sans the skeleton had been in the zoo since its opening forty-five years ago and was a very very common skeleton. Nothing unique about him apart from his triable one's states and had a cold soul, just meant he needed to live in heated places.

The other starts the rattle dance, the sound echoes throughout the area. Their eyes glow with wisps with a purplish-blue hue.

The temperature suddenly drops below zero.

Sans’s left eye flickers between blue and yellow rapidly. The new skeleton’s soul turns blue without being touched by a ‘blue bone’, then was picked and thrown across the room, back to the closed door. They slam against it hard and slid down to the floor. The skull then snapped up and they' now staring at him in great fear.

The doors open and the keepers rush in to see if there was any damage done.

The lazy little skeleton barely even moved. Burying himself deeper into the warm sand around him, grinning as normal, his eternal grin. Then he settles for closing his eyes when his own keeper comes over to check on him.


	2. Chapter 2

Sans learns that the reason for suddenly wanted him to brew, was that one; their old town was expanding, two; they want to expand with it -meaning better attractions- and three; they wanted their first monster to have baby bones with the fiftieth anniversary.

Which makes sense, it takes a couple of years brewing skeletons, so getting a mate he was comfortable with now meant they might have one around the same year.

Sans yawns loudly, glaring at his new home. It was a lot bigger than the last one, which he had spent over twenty years in, before then it was a couple of iron cages with magic compresses, which scientists believe could be the reason he had so low stats.

The large open area had yet anything in it, but he knew later his favourite trees ‘wood’ be added.

The enclosure was a half-circle. It was a glass barrier that kept the visitors out. On the other side, the wall was another half-circle which would be where he lived when not putting on a show.

He notices it was big enough to the whole at least ten skeletons, which was the same amount that a skeleton could brew.

‘*not leaving anything to chance.’ Sans thinks with a grin, as much as he wanted his zoo to do well, he didn’t like changes that much.

The idea of him brewing did not sit well with him either, but it was normally the skeleton with the most magic reserves that brewed. And he had a deep well of magic reserves. And this too was thought to be because of the magic repression.

Sans glances across his enclosure, whatever monster was going them had a fully open area. Meaning visitors could walk in and out as they pleased. Which also meant that whatever it was, was completely harmless.

Which was was a good thing, since skeletons become oddly attached to their offspring and will become territorial; however, there was certain kinds that skeletons lived along within the wild, that they were fine with.

Sans slowly walks alongside the glass, running a hand on it as he went. He stops. There was a little section where the ground went from grass to sand.

Since it was right beside the glass, he knew this meant he had to take his afternoon naps. It actually looked like white sand.

’*they really went all out....hope they don’t regret this.’ Sans thinks suddenly worrying about debt. It had happened before when he was younger, many of the monsters had little rights back then and if they did not perform, they got dusted.

Sans at one point was in line to be dusted, if not for the fact he suddenly lifted twenty VIP guests who came to view the dusting off the ground, with many of the zookeepers, it was only a few feet in the air, but enough to shock everyone who witnessed it. His due date was put on hold for some reason.

It had been caught in camera by an undercover news reporter and for a while was the talk of the town. The zoo ownership was forced to change hands because monster rights people began a riot.

The new owners knew what they were doing and quickly turns things around for the zoo.

Sans walks onto the warm sand, he then began to bury himself into it so only a part of him was showing.

The excited chatter came near, glances towards the outside of the glass, he sees his keepers waving at him happily.

It would be another two weeks until his area would be open to the public, which gave him plenty of time to get used to the place.

Sans just snuggles deeper into the unique white sand, he was a tropical skeleton, after all, it made sense that they bring him this. It made sense that they would try and get something more suitable for him since they were trying to impress the world.

He was grateful that they didn’t try mating with anyone again, moving homes was stressful enough. Closing his orbits, he began a well-deserved nap.


	3. Chapter 3

A new scent drifts in, causing him to takes his eyes off the small human that was trying to get his attention for the last two minutes.

Sans stands up and follows it to the other enclosure opposite him. It was completely covered.

A delighted gasp rang through his few watchers, as he came in full view.

Sans paid more attention to those around now, there were many visitors today however many have their back to him.

Then he notices his keepers on the other side of the glass, watching him intently.

Suddenly he knew this was not a local skeleton they pulled off the beach like him, this was a foreign skeleton.

Sans rattles dangerously, he did not mind meeting the local skeletons, they belonged. But bringing a foreign skeleton next to the local inhabit was asking for trouble. And could they not do this during the night, when he could actually make a fuss because unless they put another skeleton right next to him, in his home, there was no way he dared lash out with visitors here-

Suddenly Sans knew why they made such a big deal about bringing the foreigner here, now and in front of a crowd.

They knew he would not do anything unless it was in hitting distance.

Sans eyed the covered enclosure, everyone was waiting for the big reveal. In the meantime the air was a strange mix of smells, there were lemons, milk, jasmine, and oddly enough spaghetti.


	4. Chapter 4

It was hate at first sight.

It has been a few hours since the grand revealing of the other skeleton.

Sans was right in thinking that it was a foreigner.

Sans rattles angrily, his cold soul pouring out of him, causing the glass to frost even though it was a hot summer’s day. Of course none of the visitors could see him now, or though they seemed to be having more fun walking in and out of the foreigner’s enclosure.

From his branch he stares down at the tall skeleton, who obviously had a lot of energy. He runs up and greeted everyone that came through like a happy puppy.

Sans’s left eye flickers.

And straightens when he notices even from this distance, the bead of sweat on the side of his skull.

‘*oh. can ya feel me?’ Sans wonders to himself, grinning boldly at the other skeleton’s discomfort.

Sans held out his left hand and forms a small blue bone that was filled with magic. He watches the other skeleton become more alert, glancing around in an unsure manner. The visitors did not see this behaviour as strange.

Sans dissolves the bone within himself, watching in amusement as the skeleton relaxes.

Grinning like mad Sans makes an army of humming bones on the ceiling and out of sight of his keepers, he almost laughs as the skeleton made an odd noise and his eyes bulge out impossibly for a skeleton.

The keepers catching on that Sans was doing something, they began informing that the other skeleton enclosure was now closing for the day, giving the excuse that he needed to settle.

He quickly dissolves these ones too, it was a little harder to do than one, but he was skilled enough.

It took a little over an hour to get the visitors out of Sans’s and the other’s viewing track. After that two large gates were closed, leaving the new skeleton to stare over at where Sans lived.

“GREETINGS FELLOW SKELETON!” The new skeleton shouts over from the metal wired barrier, so much different from Sans’s, “I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND YOU HAVE THE HONOUR OF ME JOINING YOU THIS SUMMER! IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU!”

The skeleton gave him a dramatic hero pose while grinning smoothly; Sans was sure if he had a cape on, it would have blown in the air.

Sans took a shortcut from his branch down to the ground, he lets the cold disappears, allowing the other to see him fully.

Losing his heroic pose Papyrus smiles joyfully at his sudden appearance, waving at him.

However the dangerous flickering of his left eye began. His keepers thought this glass could stop him, they thought wrong. He caught onto Papyrus’s soul intent of crashing him into every corner of the other’s area.

Sans pauses at the glow of orange from Papyrus’s eyes. Even with the pressure, he was putting him under, the taller one was smiling at him. Though there was an uneasiness in how his orbit looked.

“WOWIE! YOU GREET ME WITH A FRIENDSHIP BOUND!” Papyrus cries out happily, he places his hands up to his cheeks, laughing softly.

Sans let those words float around in his skull a moment.

“*how many ... friendship ‘bounds’ have you had?” Sans could not help but ask.

Papyrus expression goes blank for a moment, then smiles at him once more.

”WHY! EVERY SKELETON I MEET GIVES ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, A WONDERFUL WELCOMING FRIENDLY BOUND!” Papyrus told him, leaning to his barrier with both hands push on it, ”MY KEEPERS KEEPS TELLING ME NOT TO WORRY! THEY ARE JUST WELCOMING ME WITH OPEN ARMS WITH FRIENDSHIPS BOUNDS!”

Sans just stood there for a moment with empty orbits. Then he threw his back up and roars with laugher, letting Papyrus out of his blue hold as he did. The tall skeleton watched with a sad worried expression.

“*ya keepers ‘keep’ telling you that!” Sans said laughing so much that tears had started rolling down his cheekbones and over his eternal grin.

“YES! THAT RIGHT! THEY ARE FRIENDLY GREETINGS!” Papyrus cries out, shaking slightly while moving back and bringing his hands to his chest where they wiggle together in an unsure way, “AND EVERYONE LOVES ME! EVERYONE WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND! YOU SAW JUST NOW! THE HUMANS WANTED TO BE MY FRIEND!”

Sans was not listening, he almost doubled over with laugher now, one hand holding onto the glass for support.

“*the keepers ‘keep’ telling you,” Sans gasps out grinning a true grin for the first time since... forever.

“EVERYONE LOVES ME!” Papyrus told him forcefully, it was then Sans sees the tears were pouring down his skull too, these ones not from laugher. Papyrus has a pained look on his features, “I AM THE GREATEST SKELETON EVEN TO GRACE THE ZOOS! I TRAVEL TO EVERY ZOO JUST SO OTHER HUMANS WHO CANNOT TRAVEL, MAY SEE ME!”

”*....is it your keepers that ‘keep’ telling ya that too?” Sans asks trying hard not to laugh, he gives a lazy glare, “ya stupid. you can’t get on with others for whatever reasons. so ya ‘keep’ moving. ya keepers are telling you this. so ya don’t fall down. listen ‘ere bro. i don’t want ya here. leave. **s o o n e r t h e b e t t e r .** ”

Sans walks off to his home, leaving Papyrus sobbing his soul out until one of his keepers came and directed him to his home at the back of his own enclosure.


End file.
